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Trading card collector

Cards kept flat, sorted and safe

Woman sorting trading cards into stacks at her dining table

I’m Rayane. I collect trading cards in São Paulo, keep them in binders and take them to card shows. Read my notes, get my checklists, or shop my merch.

Eight supplies, twelve jobs

  1. Card show day3pieces3jobs
  2. Grading prep3pieces2jobs
  3. A new set4pieces2jobs
Pick a piece to see what uses it

Penny sleeve A thin soft sleeve that every card goes into first in 4 jobs.

Top-loader A rigid holder for a card that leaves the house in 5 jobs.

Nine-pocket page A binder page that holds nine cards face out in 4 jobs.

Side-loading binder A binder with pockets that open on the side, so cards can’t slide out in 4 jobs.

Divider cards Tall cards that split a box by set or number in 3 jobs.

Loupe A small magnifier for corners, edges and print lines in 2 jobs. In the guide

Checklist One sheet listing every card in a set in 5 jobs. Get the pages

Card box A long cardboard box for the bulk in 5 jobs.

The jobs

Pick a supply to see the jobs it’s in.

  1. Hands sliding a trading card into a sleeve in a binder

    Job 1

    Sleeve a new pull

    Into a soft sleeve, then a holder

    • Penny sleeve
    • Top-loader
  2. Open binder page of shiny abstract-art cards catching light

    Job 2

    Fill a binder page

    Nine sleeved cards, face out

    • Penny sleeve
    • Nine-pocket page
    • Side-loading binder
  3. Overhead view of cards sorted in rows with divider cards

    Job 3

    Sort a new box

    Dividers by set, ticked off the list

    • Divider cards
    • Checklist
    • Card box
  4. Hand checking a card corner with a small magnifying loupe

    Job 4

    Check a card’s corners

    Under the loupe, then straight into a holder

    • Loupe
    • Top-loader
  5. Busy card show hall with browsing visitors seen from behind

    Job 5

    Pack for a card show

    Holders for the good ones, a box for trades

    • Top-loader
    • Checklist
    • Card box
  6. Hand holding a card in a rigid top-loader up to the window

    Job 6

    Get a card ready for grading

    Sleeved, checked and held flat

    • Penny sleeve
    • Top-loader
    • Loupe
  7. Flat lay of a small card haul with sleeves and a notebook

    Job 7

    Log a haul

    Every card on the list before it goes away

    • Checklist
    • Card box
  8. Woman sorting trading cards into stacks at her dining table

    Job 8

    Trade at the table

    The binder open, the list beside it

    • Nine-pocket page
    • Side-loading binder
    • Checklist
  9. Overhead view of cards sorted in rows with divider cards

    Job 9

    Store the bulk

    Long boxes, split every hundred cards

    • Divider cards
    • Card box
  10. Open binder page of shiny abstract-art cards catching light

    Job 10

    Show off the shiny ones

    One page by the window

    • Penny sleeve
    • Nine-pocket page
    • Side-loading binder
  11. Woman walking along a tree-lined city street with a tote bag

    Job 11

    Carry a card across town

    One holder, in the box, in the bag

    • Top-loader
    • Card box
  12. Printed card checklist beside a binder and a tablet with a grid

    Job 12

    Start a set

    A checklist, a binder and dividers for the gaps

    • Nine-pocket page
    • Side-loading binder
    • Divider cards
    • Checklist

Downloads, a course and merch

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Card notes

Sleeves, binders, sorting, card shows and grading.